1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to airborne or waterborne vehicles and the launching of such vehicles.
2. Description of Related Art
Vehicles, such as powered munitions, rockets, missiles, projectiles, drones, torpedoes, and the like, are often stored in and deployed from canisters. Deploying such a vehicle typically involves two steps: launching the vehicle from the canister and sending the vehicle toward a target or along a desired path. In some conventional implementations, the vehicle's main engine is fired to launch the vehicle from the canister. In other implementations, an auxiliary engine is fired to launch the vehicle from the canister. Such auxiliary engines employ propellants that produce a high thrust impulse for a short amount of time to launch the vehicle from the canister.
In either case, liquid or solid propellants are combusted to provide the launching impetus. When combusted, such propellants generate soot and/or smoke that often affect the operation of the vehicle. Propellants capable of producing a higher thrust impulse typically generate a larger amount of smoke and/or soot than lower thrust impulse propellants. For example, some canister-launched vehicles incorporate optical sensors that provide inputs to the vehicle's trajectory controller, so that a desired target is defeated. Smoke and/or soot particles often adhere to windows of such vehicles, through which the optical sensors receive inputs. The smoke and/or soot particles decrease the amount of light propagated through the windows and/or alter the light propagated through the windows, thus reducing the effectiveness of the optical sensors.
Moreover, it is critical to prevent any structural damage to the vehicle during expulsion from the canister. Firing the main engine of the vehicle or an auxiliary expulsion engine, within the confined space of the canister, results in unintended consequences at times. For example, if the engine firing is extraordinary, heat produced by the combusting propellant may structurally damage the vehicle. Smoke and/or soot from higher thrust impulse propellants may also damage the vehicle, particularly propulsion and control systems of the vehicle. In particular, if soot and/or smoke are ingested into a propulsion system of the vehicle, the propulsion system may not operate properly or may fail to operate entirely.
Furthermore, conventional launching methods may produce visible and/or thermal signatures that allow an enemy to locate the launch site. For example, enemy personnel may see smoke and/or soot produced by combusting propellant. Moreover, heat generated by high thrust impulse propellants may allow an enemy's sensor system to locate the launch site.
There are many designs of canister-launched vehicles and launch systems thereof well known in the art, however, considerable shortcomings remain.